Surgical instrument



Patented" Sept 20 1932 UNITED I YIVHIIUBERT DBA HE', .01 NEW, 1031:, it.

snnelcanmsmnummvqir Application ,filed; Jun-e 10;v

gical operations of any kind-can lie-easilyattached and as deeper incisions are madein; the subject being operated" upon, blades of difi'erentxlengthcan be easily 'and quickly at?- tached tothe knife handle; z Another object ofthis inventionisto provide a surgical knife which' can be'-' easily: taken apart torreplacihg or. substituting a blade of the same or difierentsizexand which i can be quickly assembled when and asbla de of different length are required during an operation. I Still another: object of'thisinvention is't'o construct a surgical'knife in whichthe blades can be interchangeably used and'firmly engaged to the handle,' thereby obtaining a firm, one-piece construction. i

This invention in its preferred; form embodiesa knife blade and apair of, opposite side plates constituting the handlefor hold ing the blade betweenithei'r innen faces and; a pivotingstud on one of the platesffor firmly engagingztheblade and the othen plate land means for; preventing the: plates from sliding; angularly with respectitmeaclrother."

Further objects and features oii'thisine vention willbecomeapparent in the hereinafterdetaileddescription and claim.

Referring in detailto thedrawing-wherein is shown one simpleand practical preferred embodiment of the invention in which similar referenoeeharaoters designateeorresponding; parts throughoutthe SGVGIZfl-lbVlBWSei I Figure: 1, is a side elevation presentingtheembodiment initsassembled" form; I Fig.2 isaalongitudi a 1- edge viewot Fig.1 Fig. 3v-isra plan vievw; oii'the elements com prising the embodiment'showni in Figs. L 5 Q Fig. 4:; is anenlarged; View looking on: line e -emf F gls d: i y

'cess: 28 to allow for easy' insertion of the fingerna-11,.by theuser'of theknife, upon the,

also; contains a depressionoran indentation 30 on a polnt alongthe longitudinal axis/but,

f intenifon face is; partly channeled; as. shown 19s1Q-seria1 no. 543,358. v TH 5 -is anedge viewflookirigjhthe di'ree;

tion-ot 5-5-;in Fig 1. g V In the-drawingis shown a; knife bladevlfl-- having; athiirrazor -like cutting edge 1.12; and{ a thickenedback edge 13. The edges=oth body portion of blade 10 gradually taper and? are cOjnstri-eted; at about the middle-portion ofthebladeandthenS readJQuU into a shank: V 14-. Thesidesgof the. shank: are recessed; as; V

tending edge portions 15 at the upper endsof" 'the-shank and laterally extending; opposite- 7 1y, disposed lugs 1.6,at-v the endiof th-e'shank;

v Extendingalong and-in the=sameplane as the r long tudinalaxis-of theblade is a perforatign 6m? 18 preferably; elliptical-inform. v

The, handleof; the knifei consists of: 'tzwm mutually separable parts. One; of? the} parts;

. is an opposing side, plate -20:,g 11 Qfpag die-pressedr metal with the; ends beveled? on 7 roundedyas shown imthe'drawing, and; afipilvq oting stud22punchedintothe inner face of theplate at atpoint on the longitudinal axis: ad acent-the, upper end; of the: plate; The body. 24: oflthis stud: issubstant-ially oyli'ndrie cal-shaped- (Fig 452) while-thehead 2,6;is flattenedand substantially elliptical'-shapedm'ith; lts maj or axisrunning atright angles to the:- longitudinal axis of the-plate. 'llheposition I of: the-'StlId OII thei plateissu'ch: UhatifiwaCtS bothas; apivot on fulcrum and! a clamping means, while the,- plate itself aots asma lever;v

7 H B Oi the-longitudinal! edges fth l m andat-its lower part is a; curvate-shaped re- -85,"

midseotion" of, the handle'when it is desired; to; be-taken apart.v Theinner-f-aceof the plate,

atitheelower portion of theplatesoast'ofpro- VldG'gCOIlllilCll with theother part of thehandle I heneinafter described, Theouter faoe-ofplate- 20, is; knurled. on milled at its upperpontiom 32:.to-pr0videf propersurfaceoontaotingmeans;

"for; firmly retaining the; plate between, the

The remainingortion be thefkniEfe handlei. j contains;anotheropposing sidejplatiefig whose.

' showntingFigl; 3;, soa-s toleave laterally; ex i in Fig. .3, so as to leave vertically arranged flanges 36 on either side of the lnner face. The flanges are of gradually increasing I height toward the upper part of the plate and end abruptly at a point 38 just below the upper end of the plate 34. A groove is 40 in the same plane to allow for the fitting of the lugs 16 of the blade shank 14 therein and of the seating of the lateral extension 15 against the end 38 of the flanges. The width of the top portion of the channel 34 is of slightly greater dimension than that of the shank 14 so that when the blade 10 is attached on to the plate 34, the shank 14 fits snugly into the channel of the plate, the lugs 16' being set in grooves 40 and the upper lateral extensions 15 fit against the end of the flanges at 38. By such an arrangement a closely fitting engagement is effected between the lateral extensions 15 with the ends 38 and the lugs 16 in the grooves 40 of the plate 34.

In this particular embodiment there is slight tolerance or clearance between the shank 14 and the channel of the plate to allow for easy insertion or detaching of blades from the plate.

Between the flanges 36 and at the top end of the plate '34 is a perforation 42 situated on the longitudinal axis of the plate and at a point between the set-01f flanges 39. The perforation on the inner channel face of the plate 34 is of elliptical shape, as indicated by 44,'whereas the outer face of the plate is countersunk to effect the appearance of a circle 46. The perforation as seen by looking at the outer face of the plate 34 has the appearance of a circle gradually diminishing into an ellipse in which the major axis of the ellipse is in the same plane as the longitudinal axis of the plate 34, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In this manner there is a gradually inclined wall from the periphery of the circular countersunk portion of the elliptical opening. By the constructionof such countersunk portion and of the head 26 of stud 22 being curved toward the main axis of the stud, a camming action is effected when the plates are brought into combined relation, as shown in Fig. 1. It is to be noted that when the shank of the blade is contained between the plates, the

cannning action formed by drawing the plates in circular relation toward each other tightly clamps the shank, thereby preventing lateral or circular displacement of the blade with respect to the plates.

cal projections of the blade 10 and plate 34. Both plates at this point would be at right angles to each other, the stud 22 acting as a pivot. After the stud has been inserted into the perforations 18 and 42, the plates may then be moved relatively towards each other in angular; displacement on the pivoting stud and brought into side opposing position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This turning of the plates relatively toward each other is through and causes the stud by the formation of its head and body portion to draw both plates together and thereby clamp and firmly engage the blade 10'. It is to be noted that plate 34 may be firmly held while the other plate 20, after being brought into right angle position with the first plate, is turned through 90. 7

On the same axis as the perforation 42 but at a point towards the lower end of the plate 34 is a pin 48 extending from the surfaceof the plate which fits into the depression 30 of the side opposing plate 20 when the knife is assembled. The engagement of pin 48 in depression 30 prevents the plates fromsliding over each other, thereby preventing the blade of the knife from being moved in the channel of plate 34. It is to be noted that plate34 also has a curvate depression 50 along the lower portion of one of its edges so that when the knife is assembled, the blades can be easily disconnected by insertion of the fingernail of the user so as to slide the plates apart from each other a distance equal to the length of the pin 48,whereby the plates are then moved relatively away from each othervand the blade retained by the plate 34 is easily detached and replaced. The other face of the plate 34 is also milled or knurled at its upper portion 52 so that when i the knife is assembled a portion of the handle can be firmly grasped between the fingers of the surgeon for properly using the knife.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that blades of any length or size can be firmly attached to the handle herein described, thus eliminating the use of many knives with blades permanently attached to the handle. Furthermore by the use of the herein described embodiment, only the blades need be sterilized, thereby eflecting economy of time and amount of material for use for assembling the knife. i

It is to be noted that the knife herein described can be easily and quickly assembled and that the component parts of the handle are firmly held together without any chance i of the blade becoming loosened from the handle during the use of the knife. In the embodiment of the invention the blade is firmly gripped between the handle plates to prevent lateral, longitudinal, or circular movement of the blade within the handle, the firm grip of the blade being a highly desirable feature, particularly where surgical .knives are used in delicate operations. By the arrangementof the constructional feature of V the stud on one plate and inserting it into the perforations of the blade shank fitted into the channel portion of the other plate, there is effected not only a pivoting action in assembling the knife, but also an efficient clamping action whereby the shank of the 1 blade is depressed more firmly into the chan- 10 nel and grooves of one of the plates.

While certain specific constructional fea tures of the preferred embodiment have been described, it is to beunderstood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the hereinafter appended claim.

I claim A surgical knife comprising a'blade having a recessed shank portion with an eye and oppositely disposed lugs projecting laterally therefrom, a channeled plate having up wardly extending flanges offset from the side of the plate on the longitudinal edges thereof for accommodating the recessed shank portion and transverse grooves in the sides of the plates to permit the lugs on the shank portion to abut the oifset ends of the flanges and also make engagement with the grooves thereof, said channeled plate having a perforation whose opposing side face is congruous With the perforation on the blade and whose outside face comprises a countersunk circular depression with gradually progressive depth'toward the center of the perforation, a complemental plate for covering, the channeled plate having a stud with an ellipv tical shaped head, and a cylindical body projecting from said plate, passing through the 40 perforations of the blade shank and the side opening plate whereby upon angular displacement of one plate to the other around the stud as a pivot, a clamping action is effected and the plates are contracted together for rigidly retaining the blade'therebetween to prevent lateral and angular displacement of the blade, and means on the second plate for retaining the plates together. V

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as so my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

HUBERT DRACHE. 

